Research Document - 2000/044

The stock status of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in Paradise River, Labrador in 1999.

By D.G. Reddin, P.B. Short, R. Johnson, and J. Bird

Abstract

In collaboration with the Sandwich Bay Watershed Authority, an Atlantic Salmon assessment project was completed in 1999 on Paradise River, Labrador. The number of salmon entering Paradise River was estimated by mark recapture. Salmon were captured and marked in the estuary and then recaptured upstream at a tributary counting fence and in salmon traps set out in a pond in the main stem of the system. In total, about 800 salmon were caught at all sites. One hundred and fifty-six salmon were tagged and released from the lower site and, of these, 19 salmon were recaptured. The Petersen estimate of the number of salmon entering Paradise River was 5,172 salmon (95^th C. I. 3,283 - 8,200) consisting of 4,681 small and 491 large salmon. Spawners and egg deposition were estimated using biological characteristics from salmon sampled in the estuary traps and compared to a habitat-weighted conservation requirement for Paradise River of 13.543 x 10⁶ eggs. In 1999, 96% of this conservation requirement was met. In 1999, 331 small salmon and 43 large salmon were counted at the Southwest Brook counting fence compared to an adjusted count in 1998 of 110 small and 4 large salmon. Also 310 brook trout were counted in 1999 compared to 199 in 1998. This is the first successful assessment of a salmon stock in southern Labrador (SFA 2) since 1996. An assessment of risk indicated a high degree of variability in the results, which can only be improved through higher numbers of marked and recaptured salmon, a more intensive sampling program and a biochemical technique to identify the sex of a salmon. In 1998 and 1999, seals were sited many times on the river sometimes feeding on trout and salmon. It is recommended that detailed studies be conducted on predator-prey interactions at a population level in Paradise River.

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